Bobbin stripping machine



Feb. 9,1937. E. R. ALDERMAN -BOBBIN STRIPPING MACHINE Filed Aug. 19,1935 2 Sheets-Sheet l INVENTOR I Ii 2700:: Boat/H AIDE/P044 L BY aaw 9 MTTORNEYS Feb. 9, 1937.

E. R. ALDERMAN 2,070,193 BOBBIN STRIPPING MACHINE Filed Aug. 19, 1935 2Sheets-Sheet 2 IN VE N TO R F005: BMmrAzaaim/v Y ATTORNEYS.

Patented Feb. 9, 1937 UNITED STATE ATENT OFFIQE BOBEBHN STREPPINGMACHINE Eugene Robert Alderman, South Hadley, Mass.

Application August 19, 1935, Serial No. 36,800

9 Claims.

This invention relates to a bobbin stripping machine and has for itsobject the provision of means for removing the remnant of weft threadwhich remains on a bobbin after its discharge from a shuttle in a weftreplenishing operation.

The invention is particularly useful in connection with the modern typeof bobbin replenishing mechanism used in rayon weaving wherein the weftthread of the exhausted bobbin is cut off very close to the end of thebobbin when discharged from the shuttle. In such mechanisms there isusually not enough length of weft remnant trailing from the dischargedbobbin to be caught for unwinding by the usual bobbin stripping devicescustomarily attached to replenishing looms.

For rayon weaving as with silk weaving it is important in stripping thebobbins to avoid roughing up or cutting the bobbin stems, and thepresent invention accomplishes this stripping without contact of anycutter, scraper or abrasive tool with the stem, but by unwinding theweft from the stem and by providing for free and easy rotation of thebobbin during such unwinding operation.

Furthermore, the present improved machine is designed to make theoperation of stripping bobbins completely automatic from beginning toend, that is: to say, the bobbins containing rem- 30 nants of weftthread to be removed may be dumped indiscriminately into a hopper at oneend of the machine and removed at the other end of the machine with thethread completely stripped therefrom.

Referring to the drawings which show the preferred embodiment of myinvention,

Fig. 1 is a longitudinal section of the forepart or bobbin feedingportion of the machine;

Fig. 2 is a similar view of the after part or bobbin strip-ping portionof the machine, it being understood that the part shown in Fig. 2 is acontinuation of that shown in Fig. 1;

Fig. 3 is a transverse section of a portion oi the machine through line33 of Fig. 1 looking in the direction of arrow (a);

Fig. 4 is a similar transverse section along line 4-4 of Fig. 1 lookingin the direction of arrow (b);

Fig. 5 is an enlarged detail cross section of the delivery trough alongline 5-5 of Fig. 1;

Fig. 6 is a similar cross section (but not enlarged) along line 6-6 ofFig. 1;

Fig. '7 is a detail section along line I -l of Fig. 1, looking in thedirection of arrow (0); and

Fig. 8 is a cross section enlarged of the stripping table andappurtenances along line 8-8 of Fig. 2.

The supporting frame work of the machine is indicated in general at I,and it may be of any suitable form designed to carry the partshereinafter described. At the forepart of the frame I is mounted ahopper 2 at the bottom of which is provided a slatted endless conveyor 3designed to feed the bobbins contained in said hopper outwardlytherefrom to discharge chute indicated generally at 4. The slattedbottom 3 may be given an intermittent movement by means of any suitableratchet driving mechanism not shown.

The contour of the discharge chute 4 as provided by the sides and thebottom thereof is designed to converge the mass of bobbins being fedtherethrough into a single file for progressive travel up an inclinedtrough 5. As shown in Fig. 1 the bobbins in said discharge chute 4 willfall downwardly into the lower end of said inclined trough 5, the sidesof which are shown clearly in Fig. 3, as sloping and convergingdownwardly toward an open slotted bottom portion indicated at t. It willbe understood that hopper 2 may be much wider than the inclined trough 5and that the sides and bottom of the discharge chute 4 are suitablyflared from the outlet of the hopper to a smooth juncture with the lowerend of trough 5. The open bottom slot 6 of said trough 5 is wide enoughto permit passage therethrough of the bobbin stems but not of the bobbinheads, whereby the bobbins falling into the lower end of said trough 5will eventually hang suspended with their heads engaged by the sides ofthe slot 6 as shown in Fig. l.

The trough 5 is inclined upwardly and beneath the same is mounted anendless chain or belt 9 having flexibly mounted upwardly projectingfingers ll! spaced at intervals thereon. The fingers Ill will projectthrough the slot 6 of trough 5 and during the travel of said belt 9 saidfingers l0 successively travel upwardly through the slot 6 and carry oneor more of the bobbins in front of the same to the top of the trough 5.In order to avoid an interlocked jam of several bobbins being carriedupwardly by the fingers [0, they are made of springy material and acrossthe top 01' said trough 5 is a fixed transverse overhead rod I l whichprohibits passage of any bobbins higher than the ends of fingers ID.This part of the machine is the same as that shown and described in myprevious Patent No. 1,496,080, dated June 3, 1924.

The upper end of the guide trough 5 is contrough l2 as shown in Fig. 1.

tinued into a downwardly inclined trough of a similar nature indicatedat l2. At the upper portion of the trough I 2 a yielding cover plate I3is pivotally connected at M so as to hold down the tops of the bobbinsas they travel along said trough I 2. At the lower discharge portion ofthe trough I2 is mounted a separating device for spacing the individualbobbins apart as they slide down in single file in the trough 12. Thisseparating device comprises a rotating screw l5 with a thread It ofgradually increasing pitch mounted above and substantially parallel withthe The screw I 5 is rotated to insert the leading end of its spiralthread IS in between the heads of two bobbins in file for separating thesame and the continued rotation of the screw due to its expandingthread, gradually increases the spacing between the bobbins until whenthe lowermost bobbin of the file is discharged onto the travelingconveyor belt ll it will be far enough in advance of the followingbobbin so that it will not be interfered with during the subsequentstripping operation. In other words, the bobbins will be deposited onthe belt I! lengthwise thereof and in spaced apart relation.

During the operation of the machine a sufiicient supply of bobins willbe fed to the upper end of trough I2 so that a continuous file of saidbobbins will be sliding down the trough l2 by gravity subject to therestraining influence of the separating screw [5. Mounted below andparallel to the slotted bottom of the trough I2 are a pair of guide rodsl8, H! (see Figs. 1 and 6) which embrace and guide the depending ends ofthe bobbins sliding down trough I2. Below the lower end of said troughI2 is a tripping bar 20 extending transversely of the path of the depending ends of the bobbins sliding in said trough l2 whereby as saidbobbins are discharged from said trough l2 they are tipped over anddeposited in prone position upon the stripping conveyor or travellingbelt IT with their axes lengthwise of the travel of said belt all asshown in Fig. l.

The endless conveying belt I? has its upper run supported on a table orbar 2| of the main frame so as to travel horizontally and the surface ofsaid belt is provided with a series of equally spaced but narrow edgecleats 22 which serve to support the bobbins on the belt with a minimumof friction when turned on their axes in the unwinding of the weftthread therefrom. As shown in Fig. 8, along each lateral side of saidconveyor belt I! are mounted guide rods 23 and 24 to retain the bobbinsin proper position lengthwise on said belt ll. Also extendinglongitudinally with the conveyor belt I! and above the same is a holddown bar 30 which serves to confine the bobbins on said belt. Closelyadjacent one side of the conveyor belt I! is mounted a stripping devicecomprising preferably two long rolls 25 and 25 coextensive in lengthwith the upper run of the traveling belt I? and parallel thereto asshown. Each roll is covered with a rough surface or thread catchingmaterial such as sand paper and a long slot 25' and 26 is formed in thesurface of each roll for cutting oif an accumulated mass of threadthereon. Preferably the lower roll 25 is mounted in fixed bearings andis rotated from a suitable drive (not shown) in the direction of thearrow in Fig. 8. The upper stripping roll 25 has trunnions in slottedbearings and rests by gravity against roll 25 so as to be drivenfrictionally thereby. The rolls 25, 26 are mounted closely adjacent oneside of the conveyor belt so as to readily catch even a short end ofweft thread from the bobbins on said belt.

At the opposite side of the conveyor belt IT from the stripping rolls ismounted a long com pressed air pipe 27 with a series of dischargeopenings 28 directed toward the belt I! so as to discharge an air blastacross said belt toward the stripping rolls 25 and 26. The air blastthus created will blow or waft the end of the thread hanging from abobbin over into engagement with the rolls 25 or 26 and will also tendto rotate the bobbins on their cleats for easy unwinding. The rotationof said rolls 25 and 26 will thus unwind the thread from the bobbin, thebobbin meanwhile rotating easily upon the supporting cleats of the beltll. During its travel on the conveyor belt each bobbin will be entirelystripped of its thread and will finally be discharged at the end of saidconveyor belt I! upon a transversely arranged discharge belt or conveyor29 shown in Fig. 2 which will carry the bobbins to any suit-' ablereceptacle.

It is advantageous to remove as much of the weft thread from the bobbinsas possible during their progress from the hopper to the stripping tableand conveyor belt H. For this purpose I have mounted in the dischargechute 4 a stripping device comprising two sand paper covered rolls 3!and 32. These thread catching rolls 3!, 32 extend transversely acrossthe lower side of said chute 4 near the upper end thereof and aremounted and operated in the same manner as the stripping rolls 25, 26.The bobbins fed out of the hopper 2 will ride over said stripping rolls3|, 32 and some of the bobbins will have any loose hanging weft threadcaught by the rolls. Generally a tangle of loose weft threads willextend from several of the bobbins at the bottom of trough 5 back tosaid rolls 3| and 32 and means are provided to intermittently cut offthis tangle from the bobbins. Opposite said rolls 3| and 32 is mounted arotating sickle-shaped knife 33 (see Fig. 4) which swings across thepath of the threads which may extend from the discharged bobbins back tothe stripping rolls 3| and 32. This knife gathers up the snarl ofthreads and severs the same against the knife bar 34. It will beunderstood that the bobbins in the hopper and as discharged from thechute are in generally indiscriminate position and that the weft threadsthereon may and often do become snarled with one another. a mass ofbobbins will be caught by the stripping rolls 3! and 32 and severed bythe knife 33 so that the bobbins will be free to pass up the inclinedslotted trough 5.

Another preliminary stripping device is located near the lower bottomend of the trough I2. It comprises a pair of rotating sand paper coveredstripping rolls 35 and 36 mounted and rotated similarly to thepreviously described rolls. At the rear of said stripping rolls 35 and36 is mounted a rotating sickle-shaped knife 37 (see Fig. '7). Above thescrew separator l5, one at each side thereof (see Fig. 6) are mountedair blast pipes 38, 39 with downwardly facing perforations for directingan air blast downwardly along the depending ends of the bobbins to carrythe threads thereon over toward said stripping rolls 35 and 36 so as tobe caught thereby. Thus any weft threads hanging from the bobbins asthey travel down trough l2 will be caught by the rolls 35, 36 andsevered by the rotating knife 37 against its knife bar Ail, so as toallow each bobbin Such snarling of the threads from,

to pass onto the conveyor belt without interference from a hanging weftthread.

In the operation of the machine the action of the stripping rolls 3| and32 and stripping rolls 35 and 36 will serve to remove a large part butnot all of the thread on the bobbins so that the bobbins are finallycompletely stripped of their thread by being deposited on the conveyorbelt l1 and carried along for action by the air blast pipe 2? andstripping rolls 25 and 26. Bobbins of quite different shape and designmay be stripped on the present machine inasmuch as the conveyor belt I!is adapted to carry and allow the unwinding operation of almost everyshape of bobbin.

The driving mechanism for the various parts of the machine need not bespecifically shown or described. It will be understood that the severalrotating shafts shown may be driven by suitably connected mechanism froma convenient source of power and that a properly synchronized movementof the various parts may be readily attained.

I claim:

1. In a bobbin stripping machine in combination, a hopper to receive asupply of bobbins having a remnant of weft thread thereon to bestripped, means for feeding the bobbins from said hopper in a singlefile, a traveling conveyor, means for spacing apart the bobbins of saidsingle file and depositing the same one by one upon said travelingconveyor comprising means for suspending said bobbins with downwardlydirected ends prior to being deposited on said conveyor, a strippingdevice located below the ends of said suspended bobbins, pneumatic meansfor waiting threads from said bobbins downwardly to said strippingdevice, a knife mounted adjacent said stripping device and movableacross the path of a thread from a bobbin end to said stripping devicefor severing said thread, a stripping device mounted at one side of saidconveyor, and pneumatic means for wafting the thread from a bobbin onsaid conveyor into engagement with said stripping device.

2. In a bobbin stripping machine in combination, a traveling beltconveyor, means to deposit bobbins on said conveyor in prone positionand lengthwise of said belt travel, a stripping device comprising one ormore thread catching rolls rotatably mounted adjacent one side of saidbelt, and pneumatic means located adjacent said belt for waiting thethread from a bobbin laterally of said belt into engagement with saidstripping device.

3. In a bobbin stripping machine in combination, a traveling beltconveyor, said belt comprising spaced cleats to support bobbins for easyrotation thereon, means to deposit bobbins on said conveyor in proneposition and lengthwise of said belt travel, a stripping devicecomprising one or more thread catching rolls rotatably mounted adjacentone side of said belt, and pneumatic means located adjacent said beltfor waiting the thread from a bobbin laterally of said belt intoengagement with said stripping device.

4. In a bobbin stripping machine in combination, a traveling conveyorbelt, said belt comprising spaced cleats to support bobbins for easyrotation thereon, means to deposit bobbins on said conveyor in proneposition and lengthwise of said belt travel. a stripping devicecomprising one or more thread catching rolls rotatably mounted adjacentsaid belt and extending parallel to and substantially coextensivetherewith, pneumatic means located adjacent said conveyor for waftingthe thread from a bobbin into engagement with said stripping device, andguide bars extending parallel to said conveyor and spaced therefromacting to retain the bobbins in position on said conveyor during theaction of the pneumatic means thereon.

5. Ina bobbin stripping machine in combination, a hopper to receive asupply of bobbins having a remnant of weft thread thereon to bestripped, a stripping conveyor, feeding means to receive bobbins fromsaid hopper and to deliver them to said stripping conveyor, said feedingmeans comprising, devices for arranging said bobbins in single file,devices for spacing apart said single file bobbins, anddevices fordepositing said spaced apart bobbins successively in prone position uponsaid stripping conveyor, a stripping device mounted at one side of saidstripping conveyor, and pneumatic means for waiting the thread from abobbin on said conveyor into engagement with said stripping device.

6. In a bobbin stripping machine in combination, a hopper to receive asupply of bobbins having a remnant of weft thread thereon to bestripped, a stripping conveyor comprising a traveling belt, feedingmeans to receive bobbins from said hopper and to deliver them to saidstripping conveyor, said feeding means comprising, devices for arrangingsaid bobbins in single file, devices for spacing apart said single filebobbins, and devices acting to tip said spaced apart bobbinssuccessively into prone position for depositing the same upon saidstripping conveyor with their axes lengthwise of the travel of saidbelt.

7. In a bobbin stripping machine in combination, a hopper to receive asupply of bobbins having a remnant of weft thread thereon to bestripped, said hopper having a discharge chute, a stripping conveyor,feeding means to receive bobbins discharged from said hopper and todeliver them to said stripping conveyor, a stripping device comprisingone or more thread catching rolls over which said bobbins pass in beingdischarged from said hopper, and a thread cutting knife mounted adjacentsaid stripping device and moving across the path of threads extendingfrom discharged bobbins to said stripping device.

8. In a bobbin stripping machine in combination, a hopper to receive asupply of bobbins having a remnant of weft thread thereon to bestripped, a stripping conveyor, feeding means to receive bobbins fromsaid hopper and to deliver them to said stripping conveyor, said feedingmeans comprising devices for arranging said bobbins in single file andin vertically suspended position prior to being deposited on saidstripping conveyor, a stripping device comprising one or more threadcatching rolls mounted below the ends of said suspended bobbins,pneumatic means for waiting threads from said suspended bobbinsdownwardly to said stripping device, and a thread cutting knife mountedadjacent said stripping device and moving across the path of threadsextending from said suspended bobbins to said stripping device.

9. In a bobbin stripping machine in combination, a hopper to receive asupply of bobbins having a remnant of weft thread thereon to bestripped, said hopper having a discharge chute, a stripping conveyor,feeding means to receive bobbins discharged from said hopper and todeliver them to said stripping conveyor, a stripping device comprisingone or more thread catching rolls over which said bobbins pass in beingdischarged from said hopper, a thread cutting knife mounted adjacentsaid stripping device and moving across the path of threads extendingfrom discharged bobbins to said stripping device, said feeding meanscomprising devices for arranging said bobbins in single file and invertically suspended position and devices for spacing apart said singlefile bobbins prior to being deposited on said stripping conveyor, astripping device comprising one or more thread catching rolls mountedbelow the ends of said suspended bobbins, pneumatic means for waitingthreads from said suspended bobbins downwardly to said stripping deviceand a thread cutting knife mounted adjacent said stripping device andmoving across the path of threads extending from said suspended bobbinsto said stripping devices.

EUGENE ROBERT ALDERMAN.

